The Economy

February 16, 1986|By Deanne Brandon

SO-SO. The economy showed some signs of health, and some analysts are raising their predictions for growth. Producer prices fell in January, dropping 0.7 percent because of plunging oil prices. But without declines in food and fuel, wholesale prices would have gained 2.4 percent. . . . Retail sales rose a sluggish 0.1 percent in January as consumers stopped buying everything but cars. Industrial production rose 0.3 percent. . . . Business inventories fell in December, with the inventory-sales ratio dropping to 1.33 from 1.35. That meant it would take 1.33 months to deplete existing inventories at the December sales pace.